


resident valentine

by fullsunlet



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: M/M, Non-Linear Narrative, hospital au, the doctors call Jaehyun Casper (out of love)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-28
Updated: 2019-09-28
Packaged: 2020-10-29 20:35:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,234
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20802587
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fullsunlet/pseuds/fullsunlet
Summary: Donghyuck thinks he got extra lucky with a handsome and friendly resident in charge of his team. It just makes his on-call duties much more enjoyable.





	resident valentine

**Author's Note:**

> First time writing for NCT and it's JaeHyuck because their tag is so empty and I love them ;A; Hope you'll enjoy this!

After years of sleepless nights, cramming notes, and unhealthy eating habits, Donghyuck is just about to welcome many more years of the same routine. It’s his first day at Moon Hospital where he would be doing his residency at for the next five years. He arrived an hour earlier than the official reporting time but nobody else was there except for one other intern who introduced himself as Renjun. They spent the rest of the hour chit-chatting about their respective universities and about the horror stories they heard from their seniors about the nightmare that interns would face.

Now that everyone has arrived and are changing into their scrubs in the interns’ locker room, it finally sets in Donghyuck that he _is_ a Doctor Being in a hospital, surrounded by other interns, and wearing his scrubs, this was all Donghyuck dreamed of as a little boy.

“Which resident are you assigned to?” Renjun nudges Donghyuck’s shoulder to get his attention, breaking him out from his thoughts.

Smirking, Donghyuck recalls all the research he’s done on the doctors here, and the gossip he’s heard from the other interns and some nosy residents in the short span of time he’s been in the hospital. “Casper,” Donghyuck says with a scoff.

“You mean Doctor Jung?” Jeno, a fellow intern, asks curiously, head popping out from behind his locker.

Another voice, belonging to an intern named Jaemin, joins in. “Casper, the friendly ghost.”

“Doctor Jung,” Jeno repeats in confirmation, pursing his lips, glancing worriedly between Donghyuck and Jaemin as they exchange knowing looks with one another, forming some new bond.

“Yes, yes, Doctor Jung,” Donghyuck gives in to Jeno simply because he thinks Jeno’s about to cry. (Jeno isn’t about to cry – just for the record.)

“So we’re all together, huh,” Renjun comments, looking from Donghyuck to Jeno, and then eyes finally landing on Jaemin.

The four of their names get called out and they hurry from where they’re seated.

They receive general instructions about what to do and more importantly, what _not_ to do before they’re sent off to Doctor Jung’s way. 

“Is that supposed to be Casper?” Donghyuck asks as the group of four speed walks towards the end of the hallway towards their assigned resident.

“_Doctor Jung_,” Jeno corrects but knows that Donghyuck isn’t going to listen to him anyway.

“He looks pretty tall,” Renjun notes.

“I’m pretty tall,” Jaemin supplements uselessly.

“And I’m pretty,” Donghyuck drawls in a sarcastic tone. “Now, shut up,” he adds when he sees Jaemin opening his mouth from the corner of his eyes.

Donghyuck’s the one that truly shuts his mouth when their resident turns around and greets them with a smile on his _perfect_ porcelain face, his eyes scrunching up into crescent moons as the corners of his lips pull higher.

“You must be my interns.”

His voice sounded heavenly. Low, smooth, and velvety.

Amidst his daze, Donghyuck hears Renjun introducing himself and Doctor Jung chuckling response with a simple, _I know_.

“You all know what you’re here for, right?” Doctor Jung only continues when the four of them give their assent. “My rules are simple. Follow my instructions and do your job properly. Now, on to assignments.”

The resident looks to Donghyuck first and the latter has to force himself to look back at Doctor Jung in the eye while trying to calm his heartbeat from speeding up. He smiles back kindly at Donghyuck, probably thinking that the younger is just feeling nervous about his first day at work.

“Donghyuck, sutures downstairs. Jeno, take the trauma pager. Renjun, run the code team.” He pauses for a moment. “And Jaemin, you’ll do rectal exams.”

At once, Donghyuck, Jeno, and Renjun try to stifle their laughs and Doctor Jung shoots them an amused look that quietens them down.

“The three of you will get your turn, don’t worry,” Doctor Jung assures them calmly, but there’s a teasing edge to his voice. “Go on,” he shoos them away when he sees them still staring at him. 

“I want his number,” Donghyuck whispers to Renjun as they walk towards the lift. “But it’s inappropriate, isn’t it?” he continues even before Renjun has the chance to speak. “Because he’s our direct boss and all. So inappropriate,” he starts convincing himself. “Nope.”

Rolling his eyes, Renjun pats Donghyuck’s left cheek a few times when they stop in front of the lift. “It’s the first day of the job. Wait a while,” he advises.

Groaning, Donghyuck throws his head back and wonders if having an attractive resident in charge of him would make his life easier or would it be another kind of nightmare.

The lift doors open and Donghyuck’s about to step in when someone taps his shoulder.

Looking behind, Donghyuck almost sprains his neck in an effort to turn around fully when he sees Jaehyun. “Yes, Doctor Jung?”

“Sutures is downstairs.”

Turning to look at the lift again, Donghyuck sees Renjun waving him goodbye before the doors close and the lift goes upwards.

*****

It’s come to a point in Donghyuck’s life when he sometimes doesn’t know if the darkening sky marks the end of the day or the beginning of a new one. But what he knows is how much he enjoys seeing Jaehyun lying in bed next to him, almost asleep, his long eyelashes fanning prettily over his cheekbones that Donghyuck somehow manages to see even in the dim light.

“Morning,” Donghyuck says softly, causing Jaehyun to stir a bit.

“It’s almost night,” Jaehyun mumbles.

Smiling, Donghyuck leans over and kisses the tip of Jaehyun’s nose before pushing the covers off and throwing his legs over the side of the bed. He knows it’s morning because he’s got to do his rounds in two hours so he needs to get out of bed right now.

Donghyuck doesn’t know when it started but before he realised it, he was living by hours and on-call duties, not knowing when Sundays end and Mondays begin anymore.

He washes up quickly, a mundane routine that has long been ingrained into him.

“How long’s your call?” Jaehyun asks sleepily from the bed, his eyes still closed.

The resident already knows the answer but Donghyuck humours him anyway. “Twenty-eight hours.”

“I won’t be here when you’re back.” It’s almost a whine.

“I’ll still be at the hospital,” Donghyuck promises. “Goodnight, sleepyhead,” he says before walking out of their shared room.

On his way out of the house, he grabs Jaehyun’s coat by mistake, only noticing it when he puts it on with a toast in his mouth and realises that the sleeves go way over his hands. There’s no time for him to go back and get his one so he’ll just have to live with Renjun’s merciless teasing for the next twenty-eight hours.

The other intern doesn’t disappoint him when he meets him at the entrance of the hospital.

“Did your hands fall off, Donghyuck? How are you going to perform surgeries in the future?”

Glaring half-heartedly at Renjun, Donghyuck reaches out for the extra cup of coffee in Renjun’s hand when the sleeve of Jaehyun’s coat brushes against the paper cup instead.

Scoffing, Renjun pulls the cup away. “Don’t want you spilling it.”

Donghyuck shrugs off the coat once they enter the building and drapes it over his arm before taking the coffee from Renjun. “You bought it for me.”

They continue bickering all the way until they reach the locker rooms where they find Jeno and Jaemin already halfway changing into their scrubs.

“If I didn’t know Hyuck was dating Doctor Jung, I’d think there was something going on between you two,” Jaemin jokes much to Donghyuck and Renjun’s disgust.

“They’re even wearing each other’s clothes now,” Renjun announces, shivering at the thought of it.

“Doctor Jung can fit into your clothes?” Jeno asks.

“This,” Donghyuck begins as he raises the coat for Jeno and Jaemin to see before stuffing it into his locker. “Was an accident. We don’t wear each other’s clothes.”

“Whatever.”

Just as Donghyuck opens his mouth to start another argument with Renjun, he finds Jeno’s hand covering it.

“Do your rounds.”

Out of spite, Donghyuck sticks his tongue out and Jeno hurriedly pulls away in a panic.

Twenty-eight hours is going to be long.

Donghyuck gets respite at the twenty-hour mark when he sees Jaehyun in the hallway.

Walking up to the resident, Donghyuck taps his shoulder to get his attention. “Doesn’t your shift start later?” As he looks towards Jaehyun’s hand and sees the paper bag he’s carrying, his eyes sparkle. “You brought food for me?”

“Thought you might be hungry.”

Placing a hand over his heart, Donghyuck declares dramatically, “you really know the way to a Donghyuck’s heart is through his stomach.”

Laughing, Jaehyun hands him the paper bag and points towards the general direction of the cafeteria. “Grab a five-minute coffee break with me?”

“You know I’ll never say no to you.”

Thankfully for them, the cafeteria is fairly empty save for a few other doctors grabbing their morning coffee.

Excited, Donghyuck opens the paper bag, smiling brightly when he sees what Jaehyun brought for him. “Rice and meat. You really do love me.”

“You’re the only one who would get so excited about rice,” Jaehyun teases. “Don’t eat too quickly.”

Before Donghyuck even finishes half the dish, his pager starts beeping. “Duty calls,” he announces, mood slightly better now that his stomach has something in it. He checks the pager before tucking it back into his pocket. Sighing, he looks at Jaehyun with a sad smile. “I’ll see you when I see you.”

“I’ll see you when I see you,” Jaehyun echoes, standing up to give Donghyuck a kiss.

A gagging sound followed by Renjun’s voice made Donghyuck pull away.

“I did not need to see that.”

“Then go see the Ophthalmologist,” Donghyuck quips back and kisses Jaehyun again.

*****

Upon seeing Doctor Jung, no scratch that. Upon seeing _Jaehyun_, Donghyuck freezes, then quickly collects himself and spins around, prepared to walk away at the speed of light. He doesn’t even make a full turn in the opposite direction when someone, probably Jaehyun, lightly pulls his arm back.

Counting to five in his head, Donghyuck takes a moment to himself before facing Jaehyun properly. The first thing he sees is Jaehyun’s lips because of their height difference and he already feels like running away. But he convinces himself that there’s nothing wrong with talking to Doctor – _Jaehyun_ and tries to look the resident in the eye, faltering at the last second and shifting his eyes away.

“Running away from me?” Jaehyun asks, a spark of mischief in his eyes and his tone playful.

Sucking in a deep breath, Donghyuck sends the older man a pitiful look. “Please don't tease me.”

Surprised, Jaehyun lets go and takes a step back to put some space between them. He looks a little upset. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have done that.” He gestures at Donghyuck’s arm. “Did I make you uncomfortable?”

Quickly shaking his head, Donghyuck internally curses Jaehyun for being so sweet and considerate. “It’s not that. I mean – ” he loses his train of thoughts because that’s just the effect Jaehyun has on him. “It’s just – It’s not – this.” He thinks to himself, _breathe_ before continuing. “It’s not appropriate. This,” he settles for saying, moving one hand away from clutching the files in his arms and gesturing between them. “This thing between us.”

Brow raised, a small smile forms on Jaehyun’s lips. “Is there anything between us, Donghyuck?”

“No,” Donghyuck answers in a beat. “And there shouldn’t be anything between us,” he adds, eyes narrowed slightly.

“Didn’t stop you from approaching me two nights ago,” Jaehyun points out and it’s infuriating to Donghyuck because he’s not wrong. He closes the distance between them a little, just a little. “And coming to my house.” His voice is almost a whisper with the next words he says. “And kissing me.”

Donghyuck takes a step back immediately. “That was two nights ago. This is now.” He tries to sound firm despite knowing that his cheeks are turning redder by the second. Using his free hand, he lightly slaps his cheek much to Jaehyun’s amusement.

“Are you regretting two nights ago, then?”

Frowning, Donghyuck wonders if there’s a hidden question or underlying meaning behind those words before deciding that he’s too tired to overthink. “No. But I’m talking about _now_. Here. In the hospital where you’re my _superior_ and you shouldn’t be talking to me about two nights ago because it’s just inappropriate. Hospital romances are always inappropriate,” he says without meaning it. Sure, he doesn’t think that doctors should date their patients but he personally doesn’t think much about two doctors being in a relationship. It isn’t an idea he’s considered before but it isn’t one that he wouldn’t think about either.

Head tilted slightly, Jaehyun regards Donghyuck thoughtfully. “You sound upset about it.”

“That’s because I _am_ upset about it.”

Jaehyun’s expression falls. “Oh. I’m sorry,” he apologises again and Donghyuck wants to scream at him. “I didn’t – ”

“No,” Donghyuck cuts him off. “Stop talking. Stop apologising.” He shouldn’t be talking to his in-charge this way but he honestly doesn’t want to hear Jaehyun saying ‘sorry’ again. “I’m upset that you’re talking about _it_ to me right here, right now because – ” he pauses because he doesn’t actually have a good reason. So he blurts the first thing that comes to his mind, which also happens to be the truth. “Because you’re distracting and I liked kissing you and I feel like kissing you again but we’re…” The tips of his ears burn when he realises what he just said and Jaehyun’s grin does nothing to console him. “We’re in the hospital,” he finishes lamely.

The dorky smile spreads wider on Jaehyun’s face. “You like kissing me?”

Of course, that’s what Jaehyun chooses to focus on.

“I’ve got labs to do,” Donghyuck changes the subject and brings his other hand up to hug the files closer to his chest. “_You_ assigned me to it. I need to go now.”

“Donghyuck,” Jaehyun stops him before the intern tries to leave again. “Can I take you out for dinner? Properly?”

Standing still on the spot, Donghyuck pretends to look like he’s considering his options, weighing the pros and cons of everything when his mind is screaming, _yes, go for it_. It doesn’t take long for him to say, “one dinner”, knowing full well that it won’t just be one dinner.

Jaehyun’s smile grows bigger and his eyes turn into crescent moons as the sides scrunch up. He beams at Donghyuck and the intern wonders in his heart why Casper couldn’t have been an unfriendly ghost instead.

*****

Turning a corner, Donghyuck was not expecting to see Jaehyun squatting on the ground, back leaning against the wall with an arm hanging limply by the side, the other one hugging his legs to his chest and his face buried in his knees. Donghyuck doesn’t even need to approach the older man to know that he’s feeling down about something. He just looks so upset.

Slowly walking over to the resident, Donghyuck stops in front of him and waits for the other to look up. When there’s no movement from the older man, Donghyuck sighs and squats down in front of him, wrapping his arms over his knees.

He waits for a while longer, seeing if Jaehyun would start talking to him as he rocks back and forth on the soles of his feet. “Jaehyun?”

“Hm?” Jaehyun replies without lifting his head, the sound soft and muffled by his pants.

Leaning his head towards the side on his right arm, Donghyuck tries sneaking a peak at Jaehyun’s face but to no avail. He considers reaching out to offer a hug or something but instead, he shifts until he’s sitting next to Jaehyun, drawing his knees to his chin, imitating the other’s position.

Donghyuck looks to the front when he asks, “do you want to talk about it?”

“No.”

They haven’t been dating for long and it’s the first time Jaehyun’s acting like this – the older man’s usually cheerful and easy-going, though he could be over-sensitive at times, and sensitive about a lot of things. Still, Donghyuck’s never seen him so upset before and he suddenly finds himself at a loss about what to do. His exes were usually the type to rant and vent until they were okay, and Donghyuck’s a good listener. But with Jaehyun, he doesn’t know yet.

“It might make you feel better?” he tries anyway.

“I don’t want to talk, Donghyuck,” Jaehyun snaps, finally looking up, probably more harshly than he intended because he sighs the next second and runs a hand through his hair in frustration, messing it up even further. He doesn’t apologise to Donghyuck but he doesn’t hit the latter’s hand off either when it wraps around his own and the intern considers it a small victory.

Donghyuck’s a bit sad about Jaehyun’s reaction but he reminds himself that it’s the other’s first relationship and that it’s something new for him too. He’s probably just as clueless as Donghyuck but ten times in a worse mood.

Seconds turn into minutes in the silence of the empty hallway.

Suddenly, Donghyuck feels a weight on his shoulder. He doesn’t need to look to know that Jaehyun’s resting his head there. Their hands are tightly interlocked now, Jaehyun squeezing it for comfort and Donghyuck lets him.

“I’m just so tired, Donghyuck.”

“I know,” Donghyuck answers despite knowing that fatigue isn’t all to Jaehyun’s story. But he isn’t going to press for what the resident doesn’t want to tell him.

“Tell me about your day,” Jaehyun asks quietly.

A small smile appears on Donghyuck’s face as he starts telling Jaehyun about the social workers he spent most of his shift talking to. Most of them were nice but there were a few difficult ones, overly particular about the smallest of details.

The tension’s starting to leave Jaehyun and Donghyuck can feel it in the way the older man relaxes against him. Halfway through one of his stories, he thinks Jaehyun might have dozed off but he’s proven wrong when Jaehyun adjusts his grip around Donghyuck’s hand, absentmindedly drawing circles below his thumb.

He’s recounting a story about a man from a religious sect pretending to be a social worker and Renjun judging said man throughout their interaction when he hears a chuckle slip from Jaehyun’s mouth and it brings a wider smile to his face. Turning his head slightly, he feels a rush of relief flooding through his system when he spots a peaceful look on Jaehyun’s face.

“Feeling better?”

“You make it better,” Jaehyun replies easily. “I’m sorry for yelling at you,” Jaehyun says in a softer voice.

“I know,” Donghyuck replies again, knowing full well that Jaehyun meant it. Hand coming up to curl behind Jaehyun’s neck, Donghyuck presses a kiss to the crown of his boyfriend’s head and Jaehyun melts further into Donghyuck’s embrace. “I know, valentine boy.”

*****

It’s been four days since Donghyuck saw Jaehyun properly. He misses the days when Jaehyun was still his in-charge resident because it was much easier to see each other back then even though they weren’t properly dating yet.

Their on-call duties were just so different that the most interaction they got in a week at times would be stolen kisses in the stairwell at the hospital or three-minute talks at the cafeteria when they’re both grabbing a cup of coffee. They live in the same house and yet they’re seeing one another less than when they were living separately.

The past few days have been filled with inconsistent text messages, post-it notes lying around the house, and leftover toast on the dining table.

Today is no different.

Donghyuck drags himself to the empty living room and flops down onto the couch, staring blankly into space. He got up before his alarm and he doesn’t have to go to the hospital in another three and a half hours. There’s more than enough time for him to get ready for work and take the train but he considers asking Jaemin for a lift in his brand-new car since they had similar call times anyway.

His phone buzzes then and usually he’s disappointed when it isn’t Jaehyun replying his text but this time, it’s Jaemin asking if he needs him to come over and pick him up.

Naturally, Donghyuck wastes no time in replying, _yes_. He gets back a message instantly with three of the ‘okay’ emojis and one with a ditzy face. Scoffing, Donghyuck throws his phone to the side, hoping it doesn’t fall between the cushions otherwise he’d have to dig it out later.

When he looks down at the coffee table, he spots a yellow post-it note with Jaehyun’s familiar scribbles on it.

_Was back for a while but you looked so tired I didn’t want to wake you up. Made something for you. Have it before coming to work._

_Love,  
JH_

Smiling to himself, Donghyuck takes the post-it and sticks it on the small glass table beside the couch instead. “Wake me up next time,” he says to the ceiling.

Tilting his head back further, he sees a plate with a cling wrap over it. His stomach growls, telling him to get off the couch.

He wonders what Jaehyun could have made considering that the other probably only came home for a few minutes to grab something he forgot before going straight back to the hospital.

A cheese toast greets Donghyuck once he reaches the table and he laughs.

It’s sweet of Jaehyun though, having thought about making Donghyuck something in case he woke up late and wouldn’t have time to prepare anything to eat before rushing to work.

Halfway into eating the toast, his phone starts buzzing again and Donghyuck’s thankful that he finds it easily where he threw it.

When he sees that it’s Jaehyun’s name on the caller ID, he quickly stuffs the rest of the toast into his mouth and picks up the video call.

_“Donghyuck, are you eating?”_

Mouth still full, Donghyuck nods as he chews rapidly.

_“Slow down,”_ Jaehyun says with a laugh, shaking his head fondly when Donghyuck’s swallows the last bit of toast.

“Ate the toast you made me.” Jaehyun’s ears grow red and Donghyuck laughs. “Where are you?” Donghyuck frowns because it looks like Jaehyun’s lying down on a bed but it also sounds a lot noisier than the on-call room should be.

_“On an extra bed outside the on-call room,”_ Jaehyun admits sheepishly, burying half his face into a pillow.

“You’re sleeping in the hallway?”

_“The room was full and I’m too tired to move now,”_ Jaehyun explains with a yawn. _“I just finished an operation.”_

“You should sleep. Why are you calling me?” As much as it pains Donghyuck to admit it, he rather Jaehyun get enough rest than talk to the older man.

_“Missed your voice,”_ Jaehyun says through another yawn.

Donghyuck’s heart skips a beat at Jaehyun’s words. He misses the other’s voice too. “You’re making me tired and my shift hasn’t even started. If I doze off at any point during my shift, it’s your fault.”

Eyes now closed, Jaehyun smiles. _“I’ll buy you coffee.”_

Grinning, Donghyuck nods in approval even though Jaehyun can’t see him. “You know I won’t say no to coffee.”

All Donghyuck gets is a hum in response and soon, all he sees is a tuff of Jaehyun’s hair on the screen.

“Sleep tight,” Donghyuck tells the sleeping doctor before ending the call. “Just wake me up next time,” he tells the thin air of their shared apartment.

*****

It’s a Friday night and Donghyuck’s usually not free on Friday nights. But today’s one of the nights when his schedule falls into the typical office-hours job routine and he can actually have a life. He doesn’t have to go back to the hospital until forty or so hours later. It’s one of the rare times he has a whole day and more off. And he is going to utilise these precious hours enjoying himself.

Enjoyment takes on a lot of forms and most of the time, it involves Donghyuck and a bed. Sleep is of course, at the top of the list for an intern like him. But that isn’t what he plans on doing tonight. He’ll regret it later during his thirty-hour call duty but that’s not a worry for another thirty-nine hours and fifty-two minutes.

(“You’re not coming back with me?” Renjun asks, surprised, becoming alert for a moment before he squeezes his eyes shut again from the fatigue.

“I need a drink,” Donghyuck replies with a shrug. “It’s been too long.” Not to say that he isn’t tired. He’s completely, and absolutely exhausted. Though at this point, he’s just so tired that he feels numb.

Waving one hand at Donghyuck in a shooing action, Renjun uses the back of his other hand to cover his yawn. “Whatever. It’s not like you sleep back home anyway. I don’t know how you do this.”

“I’m awake too!” Jaemin announces way too loudly and energetically for someone who’s just had a twenty-eight hour on-call duty.

Donghyuck’s not feeling half as dead as Renjun is but Jaemin’s voice is enough to make him cover his face and groan miserably into his palms. He doesn’t want to know how Renjun is feeling and he most definitely doesn’t want to know how Jeno lives with Jaemin. From beside him, he hears a soft sob and instantly pities Renjun.

“You drink an insane amount of caffeine,” Renjun manages to grit through his teeth. “Now, shut up.” He walks away even before bidding Donghyuck goodbye and the latter blames Jaemin for it.

Letting his hands fall from his face, Donghyuck glares at Jaemin ineffectively. “You’re going to crash from the coffee high one day. And I’ll be there laughing at you. In your face.” It’s far from Donghyuck’s usual quips but it’s the best he can muster after a long and enduring twenty-eight hours.

When Jaemin laughs in _his_ face, Donghyuck feels like punching him. But he makes no effort to push Jaemin away when the other throws an arm around his shoulder, asking him which bar he’s headed to for the night.

“How does Jeno live with you?”

“Jeno loves me.”)

“Bloody Casper, nine o’clock.”

Putting his drink, Donghyuck frowns at Jaemin before looking over his friend’s shoulder to try spotting the resident in charge of them, earning a loud laugh from Jaemin and a _my nine, you idiot_. Looking over his left shoulder, he hears Jaemin snort before he’s being turned in the right direction and his eyes land on said resident at once.

It’s easy to spot Doctor Jung and it’s even easier to stare at him. He understands what Jaemin means by ‘bloody’ the moment he notices what Doctor Jung is wearing. The resident’s in a red dress shirt, the colour of wine, paired with simple black slacks, and brown boots to complement the whole ensemble. His first few buttons are undone, exposing a tiny bit of his chest. But what gets Donghyuck’s mouth dry is the way the other’s hair is done. There’s a small inverted v-shaped parting above his left eye and the rest of it seems to be styled into subtle but artful curls.

If he thought Doctor Jung looked good before, his attraction to the resident just reached a whole new level.

“Close your mouth and stop drooling or go over and talk to him.”

“I’m not drunk enough for this.”

“You’re never going to get drunk enough for it,” Jaemin points out, knowing how well Donghyuck can hold his alcohol.

And Jaemin’s right but Donghyuck doesn’t think it’s a good idea. He doesn’t want to embarrass himself in front of the hottest doctor at Moon Hospital who also happens to be his in-charge resident who he’ll be seeing every day for another few months.

“He’s talking to someone,” Donghyuck whines, gesturing at the girl next to him. “He probably doesn’t even like boys.”

“Well, you’ll never know until you talk to him. What’s the worst that could happen? You could act casual about it and not like a fool. Besides, he’s Casper, the friendly ghost. He won’t bite.”

Jaemin’s convincing, extremely so. But it’s still a bad idea. A terrible idea. The worst idea Donghyuck’s ever had.

But he finds himself walking towards Jung Jaehyun anyway.

*****

“Can you believe he’s never dated before?” Donghyuck hopes he sounds as exasperated as he’s feeling. “What is he? Asexual?”

“Maybe he’s just been too busy his whole life,” Renjun offers in explanation. He turns to Jeno, lowering his voice as he asks, “what are we comforting him about again?”

Looking at Renjun, eyes slightly wider than before, Jeno presses his lips together as he tries to think about what they’ve been talking about for the past ten minutes. The lack of sleep makes his brain foggy and the short-term memory happening way too often. “Doctor Jung, I think?”

It sounds like the right answer to Renjun as he nods and turns back to Donghyuck. “Casper was probably the kind of nerd who spent all his hours in the library and didn’t get enough sunlight as a child, and that’s why he’s so pale.”

Donghyuck doesn’t think that’s the case but he doesn’t want to start another topic.

“Jeno’s never dated before,” Jaemin pipes in suddenly.

Immediately whipping his head to the side, Donghyuck stares at Jeno. He stares with an intensity that starts to make his fellow intern shift uncomfortably in his seat. “Lee Jeno’s never dated?” The sound of disbelief soaks up his tone as he wraps the new piece of information around his sleep-deprived head. “What’s up with you good-looking people and remaining single?”

Jeno blushes at the compliment as he jerks a thumb in Renjun’s direction. “What he said. I spent a lot of time studying so I never really considered dating anyone.”

With a small frown, Donghyuck stares at Jeno thoughtfully. “What would make you consider dating somebody?”

“What?” Jeno asks as Jaemin chokes on his drink and Renjun starts laughing.

“What?” Donghyuck repeats as he continues looking at Jeno earnestly. “What would make you consider dating somebody?” he repeats, just in case Jeno didn’t hear him properly the first time.

“I don’t know?” Jeno replies honestly. “If I find the right person, I guess?”

“That’s not very helpful,” Donghyuck says honestly and Jeno rolls his eyes. “I don’t even know if he likes boys.”

A new but familiar voice joins in. “Who are we talking about now?”

The four of them scramble to greet Doctor Jung properly.

“Mark,” Donghyuck blurts the first name that comes to his mind. “Mark Lee. I mean Doctor Lee.” Mark’s just a year older than the four of them, working in the hospital as a second-year resident and the one who constantly tells them that life will get easier because he’s just a positive ray of light like that. He’s a nice guy. Kind of cute, someone Donghyuck would consider if Doctor Jung didn’t exist.

Laughing, Jaehyun looks at the four of them. “Which one of you is interested in him?”

“Renjun,” Donghyuck says the same time the other three say, “Donghyuck.”

Eyes widening, Donghyuck stares at his three friends with a look of betrayal.

Doctor Jung turns his attention to Donghyuck and the intern wishes he could vanish under his gaze. “I heard from Doctor Seo that he’s gay if you’re really interested in him.”

“Sure,” Donghyuck replies with a fake smile. “Thanks for the information, Doctor Jung.”

Nodding, Doctor Jung then looks at the plate of apple pie on the table. “Get back to your jobs once you’re done with that, I guess.” Giving them one last smile, he walks away.

Once Doctor Jung is completely out of sight, Donghyuck picks up his fork and jabs it into the center of the pie, scaring Jaemin who was about to cut a piece for himself. “Why the hell did you guys say that? He’ll misunderstand!”

He gets three simultaneous at once and he glares at them.

“For fun,” Jaemin admits.

“I wanted to get a reaction out of him,” Renjun tells Donghyuck sincerely.

Pointing to Renjun and nodding in agreement, Jeno adds, “in case he gets jealous or something, you know?”

“So, what’s the verdict?” Donghyuck asks, suddenly anxious.

“Maybe you should go after Mark.”

*****

“I was thinking about taking the next step in our relationship,” Jaehyun says when they’re done with lunch and half his birthday cake. “If you want to, of course.”

“What’s the next step?” Donghyuck asks, eyes not leaving the remnants of the small bits of cake on his plate as he plays with them with his fork. “Is it moving in with you?” he jokes, laughing to himself because he can’t really imagine living with Jaehyun. He wants them to live together though, eventually.

When Jaehyun remains silent, Donghyuck’s stops laughing. He slowly turns to Jaehyun, staring at the other doctor with wide eyes.

Jaehyun looks away, his ears already red with embarrassment and Donghyuck still finds it such an endearing trait after so many months.

“You’re serious?”

Pressing his lips together, Jaehyun moves to grab his messenger bag from the couch. He flips through a few things before pulling something out. Something Donghyuck recognises as a key. A shy smile on his face, his ears turning redder and redder, Jaehyun passes Donghyuck the key. “Happy Valentine’s Day.”

Blinking, Donghyuck doesn’t rush to take the key. He grabs Jaehyun’s face and pulls him in for a long, deep kiss. It’s too late to hope that the key didn’t fly out of Jaehyun’s hand but Donghyuck knows that it didn’t because he hears the sound of metal touching glass before Jaehyun’s wrapping one arm around his waist and the other curling around his head.

Jaehyun tastes sweet and fruity, the peach flavour of the cake coating his tongue and Donghyuck sighs into his mouth when Jaehyun pulls him in closer. Their lips are both a little dry from the weather and Donghyuck thinks it’s getting more chapped but he doesn’t pull away, intoxicated from the way their lips are touching.

“Happy birthday, lover,” he says against the Jaehyun’s lips.

*****

Clearing his throat, Donghyuck takes another step closer to the resident. He’s talking to someone else – a pretty girl with long blonde hair, but that’s the least of his worries. “Doctor Jung,” he calls, hoping his voice was loud enough to carry over the noise.

It catches Doctor Jung’s attention and he stops talking to the girl to turn around, a look of surprise appearing on his handsome face when his eyes land on Donghyuck. _“Give me a sec,”_ he mouths to Donghyuck before giving his attention back to the girl.

Donghyuck feels annoyed for a whole of two seconds because he hears Doctor Jung telling the girl, _it was nice talking to you_ and rejecting her when she asks if he wants to exchange numbers. He does everything so sweet and politely that Donghyuck guesses the girl can’t even get truly angry at him even if she wants to.

When she finally walks away, Doctor Jun looks at Donghyuck again, smiling sweetly.

“Needed a break that didn’t involve sleeping?” Doctor Jung asks and Donghyuck nods in reply. “Are you here alone?” He looks past Donghyuck’s shoulder, as if expecting to see Renjun, Jeno, and Jaemin there.

“I’m with Jaemin,” Donghyuck says quickly, jerking his thumb behind, not even bothering if that’s where Jaemin is. He guesses that Jaemin’s there because Doctor Jung gives a small wave.

“What happened to Doctor Lee?” There’s a teasing lilt in Doctor Jung’s voice.

“Doctor Lee?” Donghyuck repeats in confusion. “As in Mark?” he clarifies, growing more confused when Doctor Jung nods. “What about Mark?” Suddenly, realisation dawns on Donghyuck. “No, no, no, no, no, no, no. You got it wrong. I’m not here with Jaemin that way. And I don’t like Mark,” he explains hurriedly, hoping he doesn’t sound too desperate in trying to clear his name.

Doctor Jung looks genuinely surprised at his admission. “Just some fun between friends, then? You’re not interested in Doctor Lee?”

Donghyuck shakes his head, regretting denying it so quickly when Doctor Jung asks his next question.

“Then who were you guys talking about the other day?”

Sucking in his bottom lip, Donghyuck looks away as he answers softly, “you”. He prays that Doctor Jung doesn’t hear him and prays even harder that Doctor Jung isn’t going to press any further but judging by the chuckle, his prayers went unheard.

Thankfully, but also unfortunately for Donghyuck, Doctor Jung evades the indirect question. “Why didn’t Jaemin come over and say ‘hello’ to me?”

The alcohol in Donghyuck’s system makes him a little more daring. “Because I want to say more than ‘hello’ to you.”

Doctor Jung’s smile is gentle and it makes Donghyuck feel comfortable with saying the next words when he prompts him to.

“I think you’re really attractive, Doctor Jung.”

Smirking, Doctor Jung watches the way Donghyuck’s face turns red. “You can call me Jaehyun.”

“Okay, I think you’re really attractive, Jaehyun.”

Laughing, Jaehyun turns to the side, covering his mouth with a hand and Donghyuck wonders why Jaehyun’s hiding his face until he spots the other’s ear turn red. Then he realises that Jaehyun’s trying to hide the blush on his face.

The alcohol kicks in again and Donghyuck pulls out the chair next to Jaehyun to take a seat. “Tell me more about yourself.” He ignores the rational part of his brain that tells him this isn’t a good idea.

“I’m a single child,” Jaehyun begins once he removes his hand, taking a sip from his glass of gin and tonic after telling Donghyuck the first piece of information.

Heart skipping a beat, Donghyuck doesn’t wonder why Jaehyun’s humouring him. “I’m not,” he offers in return, shrugging when Jaehyun looks to him for more details.

“I play the piano.”

Donghyuck plays to piano too but all he tells Jaehyun is, “how perfect can you get?” 

It makes Jaehyun laugh and Donghyuck’s heart swells. Happiness is a good look on Jaehyun, he thinks.

“I was born on Valentine’s Day,” Jaehyun says with a laugh that melts Donghyuck’s heart.

“Valentine’s Day?” Donghyuck repeats in disbelief. He shakes his head, smiling to himself fondly. “Lover boy,” he teases.

Somehow, that sentence leads to them locking lips a few minutes later in a cab that’s bound for Jaehyun’s apartment.

“Wait, wait, wait,” Donghyuck says hurriedly, pushing Jaehyun off, relieved to find that he’s met with no resistance. “I don’t put out on the first date.”

Pausing for a moment to register Donghyuck’s words, Jaehyun breaks into a smile the next second. “I wasn’t expecting you to.”

They both don’t mention the fact that it isn’t a date. It’s far from a date.

Donghyuck looks around nervously. “But we’re at your _house_.”

This time, Jaehyun laughs as he leans back onto his couch. “I wasn’t trying to trick you into bed, I swear. But I was the one who called the cab and my address is the one saved on the app, so here we are.”

“Oh.” Shoulders deflating, Donghyuck ponders over Jaehyun’s words. It made sense – they both didn’t want to make out too overtly at the bar and so Jaehyun booked a cab. Not that Donghyuck said anything about wanting to go back to his own place either (and not that he would because at that point in time, all he could think bout was Jaehyun’s lips on his, and the resident’s hands holding his waist.

“The plan was to make out and then you can sleep on my bed because I’m not kicking you out or sending you away in a cab,” Jaehyun continues his explanation.

“You’d make a great lover, won’t you?” Donghyuck muses aloud, causing Jaehyun to laugh again.

Raising a brow, Jaehyun leans in closer to Donghyuck. “Are you suggesting something?”

Narrowing his eyes at Jaehyun, Donghyuck lifts a finger. “No.”

With a shrug, Jaehyun stands up. “Well, you can still have my bed. I’ll take the couch.”

“Valentine,” Donghyuck sighs to himself, hugging a cushion to his chest, and ignoring Jaehyun’s laughter.

*****

Donghyuck’s little crush has manifested into a full-on crush after having dinner with Jaehyun twice in the past three months. He tells his three friends the evolution of his feelings and they think it’s their duty to judge if Jaehyun’s right for him or not.

“So what are some things you know about him?” Renjun begins, pulling out a notebook. Jeno and Jaemin each have one in their hands too.

They’re so dramatic but Donghyuck also appreciates them with his whole heart. “He’s never been attached in his whole life.”

“But he’s trying to get attached to you. Or you’re trying to get him attached to you,” Jaemin jokes, laughing when no one else does. He only stops when he realises that the other three are staring at him with blank looks on their faces.

“Some things you know that we don’t already know,” Jeno clarifies once they get over Jaemin’s attempt at being funny, making Donghyuck groan in annoyance.

He appreciates them most of the time.

There’re many things he wants to say about Jaehyun so he starts counting his fingers off. “He likes music, is a total sap, enjoys eating – ”

“He’s like you basically,” Renjun interrupts but Donghyuck pays him no mind.

“He also likes sports and plays basketball really well.”

“Oh, not like you,” Jaemin says as the three of them cross something out from their notebooks at the same time.

Rolling his eyes, Donghyuck grabs Jeno’s notebook, ignoring his cry of protest, and scoffs loudly when he sees doodles all over the page. “So much for note-taking.”

“Never said it was for note-taking,” Jeno points out, snatching his notebook back.

“Anything interesting?” Renjun probes.

Donghyuck frowns at Renjun, eyes narrowed in suspicion. “Now you just want dirt on your superior.”

Not denying anything, Renjun shrugs. “I’m sure there isn’t much dirt or any at all on him anyway. He seems like a decent guy.”

“He is,” Donghyuck says gleefully, happy that he and Renjun can agree on something.

“We don’t have time for you gush about him,” Jeno stops Donghyuck from praising Jaehyun any further. “But I do also think that he’s a nice guy. We’re probably the luckiest interns in the whole hospital. You guys see the other interns dying all the time, right?”

“We got it easy with Casper,” Jaemin agrees.

“Doctor Jung,” Donghyuck corrects sweetly and Jaemin makes a fake gagging action. Jeno looks torn about being happy or disgusted that Donghyuck’s finally addressing their in-charge resident correctly. Renjun just looks like he’s ready to go back to work. Leaning on his elbows and supporting his face with his hand, Donghyuck sighs dreamily. “He’s born on Valentine’s Day.”

“Valentine’s Day?” Jeno echoes, his voice cracking cutely at the end.

“Valentine’s Day?” Jaemin repeats too, but he bursts into a heap of laughter immediately after.

“This sounds like a romance film and it’s actually disgusting,” Renjun says.

Nodding in agreement just to spite Renjun, Donghyuck takes a sip from his iced mocha coffee. “Yep, Valentine’s Day.”

**Author's Note:**

> I created a new twitter account just for NCT so...say hi?
> 
> [twt](https://twitter.com/fullsunlet)
> 
> Comments and kudos are appreciated!


End file.
